If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will be required to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

MAINTENANCE NOTICE: The site will be down for maintenance on Sunday, February 18, 2018, between 9 AM and 12 PM Eastern. We apologize for any inconvenience!

First thing I would do is move the blade over so that it does not contact the insert at 45º. You will have to move both the front and rear trunnions. To move the front trunnion, loosen all three screws, lock the bevel lock and turn the bevel crank. The front trunnion will move over. Once you have the blade about 1/8" from the insert, redo your alignment. Once your alignment is complete make some cuts at 45º and see what your cut quality is.

Jake

Comment

This sounds like a neat trick, and might solve my problem (below), does anyone have any further comment?

In assembling my TS2424, I could not get the 1/8" clearance from blade to insert, could only get about 3/32". The front trunnion seemed to be the culprit, even completely loosened, when I tried to move it toward the bevel handwheel, the trunnion would contact something metallic (seemed like it's own center bolt) and go no further. Starting from that furthest point, I got the blade aligned parallel to the miter slot, but it obviously won't tilt past 25 degrees or so before the blade starts to contact the OEM insert.

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, RJ

Comment

Have you tried Jake's suggestion in both directions? (turning the crank one way than trying the opposite direction). If this doesn't work, there "may" be a burr on the underside of the table, trunion feet or even in the track inside the trunion.

I'd crawel under the saw, with flashlight and mirror and see if you can spot something. If it can't be fixed this way, you may have to disassemble the saw to access the front trunion.

Remove the blade and take off the belt. Wedge some wood blocks under the saw assembly, so it doesn't drop through the bottom.

Remove the rear trunion bolts and trunion----carefully remove the saw assembly by pulling it back. You'll likely find you have to remove the blocks to lower the assmebly through the bottom of the cabinet. You will also need to disconnect the height adj. shaft and bevel shaft---see parts diagram.

Remove the front trunion.

Check both the ends of the saw assembly and inside trunion track on both the front and rear trunions.

Take a stiff sanding block and sand under the table top, where the trunions attach to remove any burrs or irregularities. Take a flat file and while contacting all surfaces on the trunion---smooth the top ears of the trunions (where they face the table bottom. Also examine and file as needed, the washers and other flange of the bolt holes---again attacking any burrs or irregular surfaces.

This should, assuming the original trunion bolt holes are tapped correctly, fix your problem. However, before assembling again, check where the worm gear from the height adjustment, meshes with the teeth on the arbor assembly----this should be centered---if it's to one side, see the parts diagram to look for how it's attached---it can sit slightly off-center, which would cause your problem.

Before assembling, if you currently don't have the micro-adjust on your rear trunion, you might consider adding it now----see PALS for Craftsman at Woodcraft or other supply store.

Lube per the manual----the trick in reassembly is to mount the front trunion first, slide in the saw assembly, support it in place and install the rear trunion.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Comment

Dave - thanks very much for the info! I haven't had a chance to try out Jake's idea (just found the forum today) but plan to try that tonight. And I'll be on the lookout for burrs, etc, as you mentioned.

One thing I'd like to follow up on, the PALS micro-adjust that you pointed me to, they don't look like the "micro-adjust" mechanism (as the manual calls it) on my TS2424. I can't tell from the picture how these mount, maybe there are some boss castings on the underside of the table on either side of the rear trunnion, where these bolt to, and then can push the trunnion one way or the other? My TS2424 has small set screws in the rear trunnion casting, on either side of the center bolt, that seem to do the same thing, the manual calls them "micro-adjust" screws. Can you enlighten me any further?

Maybe, if you don't understand the micro adjusts---hold off on tearing your saw down .

The old (pre-micro-adjust) method was to loosen the trunion bolts----than, using a wood block and a hammer, strike one or the other side of the rear trunion, to move the saw blade alignment.

Now, this is a real pain, since it's so hit or miss---then, after you got the thing aligned, as you re-tightened the bolts, it could slip out of alignment.

With the micro-adjust----lets say you want to move the rear trunion to the right----you loosen/back off the right adjusting screw and tighten the left---moving the trunion to the right---when you've reached the point you want, you re-tighten the right screw and then re-tighten your bolts---tightening both screws first tends to eliminate the trunion shifting while tightening.

Dave

Comment

I redid the alignment using the trick that Jake mentioned, and my situation is much improved. Without removing the the blade carrier/assembly, I did look around as best I could for any burrs or other conflicts, and did not see anything. A hair under 1/8" is the best clearance I could get and still get the blade parallel, my front-rear "heel" is about .007-.008. Can now tilt the OEM blade 45 degrees and not have any contact with the insert, although that's just turning the blade by hand (I still have the fence and motor to assemble) and it's REAL close, I'll need to check it out carefully when I get the motor mounted.

Doing some quick measuring, it looks like the insert slot is 3/32 in depth, does that sound right? Looking at a Highland Hardware catalog, they had inserts for "Old Craftsman pre-1960", "Old Craftsman" and "Craftsman" saws, have I read that the Ridgid TS2424 is the same as an "Old Craftsman"?

Also, has anyone tried any light grinding of the blade slot on the OEM insert, to widen it a little?